Written Answers Wednesday 31 January 2007

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Mr Jim Wallace (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the revenue return has been from modulation of single farm payments in each year since their inception and what sum is estimated to be raised in the (a) current and (b) next financial year.

Ross Finnie: The Single Farm Payment Scheme came into effect from 1 January 2005 with the first payments being made from 1 December 2005. The total modulation receipts for financial year 2005-06 were £28.158 million. My department currently forecasts these receipts being £36.266 million for financial year 2006-07 and £43.6 million for 2007-08.

Agriculture

Mr Jim Wallace (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how financial contributions from modulation of single farm payments were spent in each year since the inception of modulated payments and what proposals there are with regard to planned expenditure of modulation payments in the next financial year.

Ross Finnie: The Single Farm Payment Scheme (SFPS) was only introduced in 2005, so the information detailed below is based on information for the financial year 2005-06.

  Compulsory modulation is currently used to fund the Land Management Contract Menu Scheme, which is part of the 2000-06 Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP). The first expenditure under the Menu Scheme was incurred in 2006, and £6,685,744 was allocated in the financial year. It is estimated that a further £10 million will be paid out under the Menu Scheme in 2006-07.

  Voluntary modulation is currently used to fund agri-environment and afforestation measures within the SRDP. The expenditure of funds from voluntary modulation in 2005-06 was as follows:

  

Countryside Premium Scheme
£433,651


Environmentally Sensitive Areas
£422,996


Organic Aid Scheme
£1,045,353


Rural Stewardship Scheme
£7.889.134


Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme
£903,969


Woodlands Grant Scheme
£121,236


 
£10,816,339



  These are multi-annual commitments which will continue to be funded from modulation. Under present co-financing limits it is likely that modulation receipts will fund these commitments until early in 2008.

Alcohol Misuse

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-30162 by Lewis Macdonald on 11 December 2006, when the study into drinking at harmful levels and the availability of treatment services in local areas will be published.

Lewis Macdonald: We are finalising the detail of the specification for the study with the Scottish Association of Drug and Alcohol Action Teams who will be putting the work out to competitive tender in the near future. This study should be completed by February 2008.

Building Standards

Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive when guidance will be issued by the Scottish Building Standards Agency on how Articles 7, 8 and 9 of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (2002/91/EC) will be implemented in Scotland.

Rhona Brankin: I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. His response is as follows:

  For Article 7 (Energy performance certificates) and Article 9 (Inspection of air-conditioning), guidance on compliance has already been produced for new buildings. This can be found in the latest edition of the Technical Handbooks which come into effect on 1 May 2007. The guidance has been available online from the end of December 2006 at: http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/tech_handbooks/tbooks2007.htm#1.Compliance advice for existing buildings will be drafted after meetings with stakeholders are held. Advice will be issued at least three months before the requirements of the Directive are brought into effect.For Article 8 (Boilers) of the Directive, guidance on compliance will not be necessary as the provision of advice option within the Directive has been taken. An energy efficiency advice leaflet has been produced in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust for domestic boilers and for non-domestic, the Carbon Trust leaflet is to be used. Leaflets are currently being sent out when the Energy Saving Trust is approached for advice.

Building Standards

Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made towards full compliance with the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (2002/91/EC), which came into force on 4 January 2006.

Rhona Brankin: I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency, to answer. His response is as follows:

  The amendment to Scottish building regulations, which comes into effect on 1 May 2007, is a significant milestone, as all the secondary legislation necessary to implement the Directive will be in place. It is intended that the remaining requirements of the Directive will be phased in by January 2009.

Domestic Abuse

Ms Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) men and (b) women have been victims of domestic violence in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Rhona Brankin: The information requested is set out in the following tables.

  Number of Victims of Domestic Abuse by Gender (where known) and Local Authority, 1999-2000 to 2005-06

  

Female
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06


Aberdeen City
2,051
2,154
1,976
2,063
2,013
2,127
1,695


Aberdeenshire
1,179
1,253
1,169
1,174
1,221
1,175
862


Angus
417
940
259
657
796
678
639


Argyll and Bute
426
278
280
441
356
365
383


Clackmannanshire
222
324
377
342
323
359
324


Dumfries and Galloway
653
626
876
802
751
931
1,015


Dundee City
1,430
1,509
1,599
1,577
1,955
1,543
1,778


East Ayrshire
573
679
745
379
281
897
925


East Dunbartonshire
252
336
333
232
362
337
396


East Lothian
464
547
554
613
546
462
576


East Renfrewshire
164
159
177
228
277
289
345


Edinburgh City
4,249
4,334
3,854
3,889
4,169
4,277
4,615


Eileanan Siar
22
72
90
109
74
100
67


Falkirk
789
753
984
758
856
1,052
1,129


Fife
2,569
2,013
1,868
1,851
2,020
2,523
2,980


Glasgow City
5,722
5,805
5,787
5,635
6,389
6,482
7,071


Highland
453
1,445
1,392
1,269
1,317
1,195
1,207


Inverclyde
521
482
408
510
664
654
695


Midlothian
450
576
499
590
535
531
642


Moray
430
445
462
456
522
508
549


North Ayrshire
631
606
704
660
772
970
1,034


North Lanarkshire
1,423
1,255
1,539
1,859
2,141
2,494
2,739


Orkney Islands
7
40
41
21
33
26
52


Perth and Kinross
464
486
682
733
798
828
829


Renfrewshire
848
932
975
1,009
1,372
1,334
1,312


Scottish Borders
501
345
228
308
438
490
584


Shetland Islands
17
31
37
45
29
36
57


South Ayrshire
720
812
803
736
883
895
823


South Lanarkshire
1,183
1,185
1,105
1,128
1,576
1,853
1,867


Stirling
289
330
420
371
472
451
334


West Dunbartonshire
672
699
716
716
1,023
1,072
1,025


West Lothian
726
796
1,061
1,116
1,174
1,214
1,291


Total
30,517
32,247
32,000
32,277
36,138
38,148
39,840



  

Male
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06


Aberdeen City
193
194
182
258
269
355
277


Aberdeenshire
104
121
97
117
188
167
108


Angus
25
136
37
116
129
108
90


Argyll and Bute
41
36
55
77
65
64
76


Clackmannanshire
16
20
29
30
24
42
27


Dumfries and Galloway
47
72
113
98
108
124
176


Dundee City
113
192
209
168
46
236
300


East Ayrshire
61
69
107
46
30
135
132


East Dunbartonshire
30
51
38
19
39
39
67


East Lothian
43
21
59
70
55
93
105


East Renfrewshire
12
12
19
25
29
35
47


Edinburgh City
228
222
279
408
443
543
558


Eileanan Siar
1
9
9
10
8
4
20


Falkirk
74
77
83
86
90
108
113


Fife
180
87
60
69
100
205
259


Glasgow City
539
491
614
684
827
925
1,089


Highland
52
221
182
121
151
156
143


Inverclyde
44
48
49
47
71
84
106


Midlothian
40
30
40
37
53
53
71


Moray
46
48
48
60
56
41
69


North Ayrshire
49
60
59
69
87
130
136


North Lanarkshire
131
120
155
228
258
323
394


Orkney Islands
0
3
4
2
0
4
5


Perth and Kinross
14
48
70
101
106
122
144


Renfrewshire
67
79
133
103
167
160
158


Scottish Borders
33
22
22
25
31
43
29


Shetland Islands
1
4
2
3
3
3
3


South Ayrshire
86
108
136
107
118
116
134


South Lanarkshire
106
100
120
125
178
230
287


Stirling
31
32
37
33
48
31
37


West Dunbartonshire
78
94
79
100
131
149
134


West Lothian
40
46
84
108
132
129
153


Total
2,525
2,873
3,210
3,550
4,040
4,957
5,447

Early Years

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many parents and children were supported by Sure Start Scotland through group or intensive provision in the (a) Dundee City, (b) Angus and (c) Aberdeenshire local authority areas in the last year for which the information is available.

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children received resource-based support through Sure Start Scotland in the (a) Dundee City, (b) Angus and (c) Aberdeenshire local authority areas in the last year for which the information is available.

Hugh Henry: Data on the number of individual beneficiaries of services provided under the Sure Start Scotland programme, broken down by local authority area, is not held centrally.

Early Years

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much (a) Dundee City, (b) Angus and (c) Aberdeenshire councils received under the Sure Start Scotland programme in the last year for which the information is available.

Hugh Henry: Sure Start Scotland funding for the three local authority areas in the financial year 2006-07, was as follows:

  

Dundee City
£1.77 million


Angus 
£1.13 million


Aberdeenshire
£2.32 million

Education

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) permanent and (b) temporary exclusions from school there were in each year since 1999 and, of these, how many were as a result of (i) drug taking, (ii) selling drugs, (iii) violence towards other pupils, (iv) violence towards teachers, (v) vandalism of school property, (vi) theft of school property and (vii) possession of a weapon and how many were for other reasons.

Hugh Henry: Information on temporary exclusions and removal from the register and the reasons for those are contained within statistical publications produced annually.

  Information for the period 1999-2000 is available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00055-06.asp. Information for each year from 2000-01 onwards is available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/PubExclusions.

Education

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents involving (a) sale and (b) use of illegal drugs on school property have been reported in each local education authority in each year since 2000.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many offensive weapons were confiscated in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

Hugh Henry: The information requested is not held centrally.

Fire Safety

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29249 by Hugh Henry on 7 November 2006, what expertise is required to be a proficient person under the terms of Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Care Homes and how the circumstances under which a greater level of knowledge and expertise is required are assessed.

Johann Lamont: Anyone with any degree of control over premises covered by the new fire safety regime (as introduced on 1 October 2006 by Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, as amended, and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006) must, to the extent of that control, assess the risk from fire in those premises and take reasonable fire safety measures in response, to ensure other persons’ safety. However, this responsibility will be in direct proportion to the level of control: the more control, the greater the fire safety responsibility. The greater the responsibility, the greater the level of knowledge and expertise which may be required in order to undertake a fire safety risk assessment in respect of the premises.

  Neither the fire safety legislation nor Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Care Homes offer a prescriptive definition of the knowledge or expertise required to undertake the risk assessment as this will be unique to the circumstances and the premises. For example, factors which might affect the level of expertise required of the person undertaking the assessment could be: the nature of the activities undertaken on the premises; the layout of the premises; the persons likely to be on, or in the immediate vicinity of, the premises; and the fire safety measures already in place. The person carrying out the assessment must be familiar with these factors. In some circumstances, such as where a care home’s layout or structure may increase the likelihood of fire spread, a greater awareness of these factors may be necessary in order fully to understand the fire risks involved and assess what fire safety measures are required in order to minimise these risks.It is for those with fire safety responsibilities to ensure that the person undertaking a risk assessment has sufficient technical training and experience or knowledge of the premises (its features, the activities undertaken on it and by whom) and the requirements of the fire safety legislation in respect of fire safety measures.In the majority of cases, responsibility for enforcing the new fire safety legislation lies with the fire and rescue authority/joint fire and rescue board. When visited by an enforcement officer, the person with fire safety responsibilities may be asked to discuss the fire safety risk assessment and explain the action taken as a result of the assessment. If the enforcement officer considers that the action taken was insufficient to meet the fire safety duties, enforcement action may be taken such as the service of an enforcement notice which requires specified action to be taken within a specified time. In cases of serious risk, a prohibition notice may be served which prohibits or restricts the use of the premises until the specified action has been taken. The powers and duties of enforcement officers are outlined in Chapter 3 of Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Care Homes.

General Practitioners

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated number of face-to-face contacts with patients by GPs was in NHS Tayside in the last year for which the information is available.

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated number of face-to-face contacts with patients by GPs was in NHS Grampian in the last year for which the information is available.

Mr Andy Kerr: The requested information is not available.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place for the slaughter of genetically modified chickens and disposal of their carcases.

Sarah Boyack: The genetically modified chickens at the Roslin Institute are dispatched by methods approved by the Home Office. The carcases are treated as clinical waste and are incinerated by a specialist contractor.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to allow patients and prescribers access to orphan drugs.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) provides NHS boards and their area drug and therapeutics committees with advice on the prescription of licensed orphan drugs.

  The SMC has prepared a statement which explains their assessment process for orphan drugs. The statement is available on the SMC website http://www.scottishmedicines.org.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when prescribers will be able to prescribe lenalidomide to patients who suffer from multiple myeloma.

Lewis Macdonald: Licensing of medicines is reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Before a medicine can be placed on the UK market it must have a marketing authorisation from either the MHRA or the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). The MHRA has advised that an application for a marketing authorisation for lenalidomide for the treatment of multiple myeloma is pending with the EMEA.

  When a medicine receives a UK marketing authorisation, either from the MHRA or the EMEA, it can be prescribed on the NHS unless it is subject to a direction by Scottish ministers under section 17N(6) of the NHS (Scotland) Act 1978.

  However, NHS Scotland is expected to await the advice of the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) before making a new medicine routinely available. SMC conducts rapid and careful appraisals of medicines using pre-launch data and provides its advice to NHS Scotland as soon as possible after the launch.

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total change was in the number of beds in (a) the NHS and (b) each NHS board between 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information on the numbers of average available staffed beds for the years ended 31 March 2005 and 2006 by NHS board of treatment is published on ISD Scotland’s website at:  http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/files/Annual_trends_in_available_beds_HB_comparison_Nov06_preview.xls

  Information for the year ended 31 March 2006 is provisional.

Home Care

Ms Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were registered as home carers in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Robert Brown: This is a matter for individual local authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.

Justice

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has given to prosecutors regarding human trafficking cases where women have been forced into prostitution and whether such advice includes charging men who pay for sex with such women with rape.

Elish Angiolini QC: Relevant Crown Office guidance sets out the provisions of section 22 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 which prohibit trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation. It is intended that COPFS staff will participate in training with the UK Trafficking Centre this year. In assessing what constitutes rape in any particular case, prosecutors will proceed on the basis of the applicable law, the available evidence and the individual facts and circumstances of the case.

National Parks

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place copies of the submissions made to its consultation on coastal and marine national parks in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre and whether it plans to prepare an analysis of these submissions showing the name, address and position of each of the respondents and a brief summary of their views.

Ross Finnie: The Executive places copies of responses to consultations in the Scottish Executive library and on the Scottish Executive website for public access, unless respondents have requested that their response remains confidential. Responses to the consultation on the Coastal and Marine National Park proposals will be placed in the library accordingly along with a summary of responses in line with the Executive’s Publication Scheme. A separate copy will also be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

  My officials are currently preparing an analysis of the responses to the consultation. We have received over 850 responses, all of which will need to be considered and taken account of in our report.

National Parks

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish all advice received in connection with the proposal that a local referendum be held in relation to the proposed designation of any part of Scotland as a coastal and marine national park.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-11639 by Ross Finnie on 11 January 2007 ( Official Report , c. 31009), whether it anticipates that a decision on the location of the first coastal and marine national park will be taken before dissolution of the Parliament; whether it will publish all advice received in connection with the timing of any such decision or decisions, and whether it has given consideration to whether such a decision should be taken after the Scottish parliamentary elections.

Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-31125 on 31 January 2007 which outlines the Executive’s plans in making available responses received as part the consultation on proposals to establish Scotland’s first Coastal and Marine National Park, which closed on 10 January 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

  We have started analysis of the responses received but it is not possible to give a timescale of when final decisions will be made on the designation of a Coastal and Marine National Park. No decisions have yet been made and proposals for the way forward, including the location of any park will need to be taken in the light of responses to the consultation.

Planning

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning enforcement officers there were in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

Des McNulty: This information is not held centrally.

Planning

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many planners it estimates are required in the public sector as a consequence of the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006.

Des McNulty: The Financial Memorandum accompanying the Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill set out estimates for the impact of the provisions of the bill. This included an estimate that, on average, each planning authority in Scotland might need to employ the approximate equivalent of an additional three planning staff. The memorandum also indicated the possible implications for the Scottish Executive Planning Divisions and the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit. The actual number of qualified planners required will also depend on the extent to which authorities deploy technical or support staff to perform appropriate functions in the modernised planning system.

Police

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers were assigned to cover the protest at HM Naval Base Clyde, at Faslane, on 8 January 2007, broken down by (a) police division and (b) rank.

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers and civilian staff were involved in the operation at HM Naval Base Clyde, at Faslane, on 8 January 2007, including those involved in the processing of those arrested, and what the overall cost was.

Cathy Jamieson: Due to operational complexities the number of officers assigned to this precise operation is not available centrally. The organisation of police operations, including the allocation of resources to this operation, is first and foremost a matter for the Chief Constable of Strathclyde.

Police

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it cost to provide police officers to cover the protest at HM Naval Base Clyde, at Faslane, on 8 January 2007, also broken down by police division.

Cathy Jamieson: Due to operational complexities the costs associated with the number of officers assigned to this precise operation is not centrally available. The organisation of police operations, including the allocation of resources to this operation, is first and foremost a matter for the Chief Constable of Strathclyde.

Police

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current estimated total monetary and staff cost is of policing the Faslane 365 protest, based on the stated intention of disruptive protests on a daily basis until 30 September 2007, broken down by police division where applicable.

Cathy Jamieson: Due to operational complexities the costs associated with this precise operation are not centrally available. The organisation of police operations, including the allocation of resources to this operation, is first and foremost a matter for the Chief Constable of Strathclyde.

Population

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the main causes of death were for (a) men and (b) women in each parliamentary constituency in each year since 1999.

George Lyon: Tables presenting the information available have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41596).

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the most recent estimate is of the number of prisoners who continue to use illegal drugs after release.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS does not hold these estimates. However, from August 2005 till July 2006, 1,211 prisoners accessed the National Throughcare Addiction Service on release from prison.

Prison Service

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what savings were required of HM Prison Inverness for the financial year 2006-07.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS is seeking to deliver efficiency savings. Each establishment is required to use its best endeavours to contribute to this objective. Where establishments fall short this inevitably increases the requirement for others. To date, HM Prison Inverness has not yet delivered any efficiency savings for 2006-07.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment is made of the availability of residential detoxification programmes for prisoners whose offences are alcohol or drug-related to enable offenders to move straight from custody into such programmes.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  There is no assessment made of the availability of residential detoxification programmes. However, prisoners with identified substance misuse problems are assessed by enhanced addiction casework services as a part of the wider integrated case management process. Should the community integration plan identify that the prisoner requires a residential detoxification programme on release, links are made with appropriate community based service providers to carry out a full assessment whilst the individual is in prison. Where this does not happen (due to sentence length) a referral will be made to the appropriate service provider in the community who has the responsibility of assessing for residential care places.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the locations of residential detoxification programmes for discharged prisoners, showing the number of places available on each programme in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: This information is not held centrally. I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-30841 on 31 January 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Rescue Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many officers in each fire and rescue service are specifically trained for emergency water rescue duties and what the nature is of the training they were given.

Johann Lamont: This information is not held centrally.

Rescue Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money was allocated to each fire and rescue service in the most recent year for which figures are available to ensure that sufficient water rescue training is carried out.

Johann Lamont: Capital and Grant Aided Expenditure allocated to each Fire & Rescue Authority in 2006-07 is shown in the following table.

  

Fire Authority
Capital (£m)
GAE (£m)


Central
1.415
14.774


Dumfries and Galloway
1.115
8.696


Fife
1.088
21.511


Grampian
2.370
25.652


Highlands and Islands
3.542
18.438


Lothian and Borders
2.854
43.199


Strathclyde
7.391
124.743


Tayside
1.702
25.306



  The amount allocated for water rescue training is not stipulated by the Scottish Ministers, rather this is left to the discretion of the individual Chief Fire Officer who must prioritise resources accordingly.

Rescue Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a specific number of officers that should be trained in emergency water rescue in each fire and rescue service.

Johann Lamont: This is not something that is specified by the Scottish ministers, rather it is a matter for each Chief Fire Officer to decide depending on the likelihood of being called upon to provide such a service.

Schools

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on repairing damage to schools caused by vandalism in each local education authority in each year since 1999.

Hugh Henry: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Scottish Arts Council

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all those who have served as policy advisers to the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) or to the Chair of the SAC since 1999, also indicating for each (a) how long they served, (b) how much they were paid and (c) what their outputs were.

Patricia Ferguson: Scottish Arts Council policy is decided and developed corporately by the Council taking advice from staff, committees and specialist advisers. The Scottish Arts Council occasionally appoints expert specialists to advise on implementation of specific policy decisions to ensure it has full understanding of specific fields. However, the firms or individuals appointed do not serve as "policy advisers" in general but are contracted specifically for a single purpose.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-30458 by Elish Angiolini QC on 21 December 2006, whether the Crown could not raise criminal proceedings against any of the officers concerned even if new evidence came to light.

Elish Angiolini QC: In Scots Law, when a decision to take no proceedings has been intimated by the Crown to a person against whom a criminal allegation is made, the Crown are held to it, and such intimation is regarded by the court as constituting a bar to any proceedings thereafter. This rule applies even where new evidence comes to light at a later date.

  Accordingly, the decision not to take proceedings against the four Scottish Criminal Record Office officers against whom criminal allegations were made is final.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-30458 by Elish Angiolini QC on 21 December 2006, on what basis and on whose authority the decision was made that no proceedings were to be taken against officers of the Scottish Criminal Record Office.

Elish Angiolini QC: The decision not to raise proceedings against the four Scottish Criminal Record Office officers against whom criminal allegations were made was taken by the former Lord Advocate, Lord Boyd, in 2001. A public announcement of this decision was made in September 2001.

  The decision was taken on the basis that there was insufficient reliable evidence upon which to found a prosecution.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Schemes

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20437 by Mr Tom McCabe on 5 December 2005, whether it is now in a position to give a more accurate prediction of when it will pay out the remainder of the £126 million which it agreed to pay out in ex gratia payments from the Scottish Transport Group pension funds surplus.

George Lyon: It is not possible to speculate when the remainder of the £126 million will be paid out. This will depend on the number and frequency of valid claims received from former members of the Scottish Transport Group pension scheme. Information relating to potential applicants has been available on the SPPA and Transport Division web pages since 2005.

  Since 2005, SPPA have received valid claims totalling £83,000, and this leaves £167,000 available for distribution.

Storm Damage

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2F-2643 by Mr Jack McConnell on 11 January 2007 ( Official Report , c. 31005), on what dates requests for aid were received from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar following the storm damage of January 2005; when decisions were made on each request, and what aid was offered.

Sarah Boyack: The following table sets out details of the requests for aid received from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, when these were received and when the Executive responded.

  

Subject of request
Actual or Estimated Executive funding
Comments


Bellwin Scheme
£368,000
Invoice received June 2005, claim paid July 2005 


 
£72,201
Invoice received April 2006, claim paid April 2006 


Civil Contingency
£80,000
Invoice received August 2005, claim paid August 2005


Coastal Protection - Balivanich
£1,100,000
Comhairle’s total estimated cost for proposed Scheme is £1.4 million which, if scheme approved, would attract grant aid of 80% of eligible costs. At this stage, given that Comhairle has not yet submitted a Scheme for approval, the best estimate of funding is £1.1 million


Roads Infrastructure
£4,500,000
Formal grant offer made by Executive in August 2005. Comhairle has claimed £944,000 so far. Transport group officials are regularly in touch with Comhairle to discuss progress


Escape routes
£432,000
Commitment made by the Minister for Finance and Public Sector Reform in a letter dated 4 July 2006. Resources available, no claim made yet


Balivanich School
£4,000,000
Commitment to funding made August 2005. Part of Schools PPP project. Funding dependent on the progress of the project, of which the Comhairle are in control. Executive will make payment when the facility is built.

Teachers

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers (a) were recruited and (b) retired in each year from 1997 to 2006, broken down by local authority.

Hugh Henry: Available information on the number of teachers who were (a) recruited by and (b) retired from each local authority since 1997 is set out in the following tables. Up to 2002-03 the data represents all teachers in the workforce, excluding supply and part-time temporary staff.

  From 2003-04 the recruitment data is obtained by comparing all those in schools on census day, with those in schools on census day of the previous year, excluding supply teachers covering absence and centrally employed teachers. It will also therefore exclude teachers who were recruited during the year but who left before the census day. While information on those leaving is therefore also available, information on why they left, and therefore how many have retired, is incomplete.

  

Teachers Recruited
1997-98
1998-99
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05


Aberdeen City
127
114
129
96
73
125
240
237


Aberdeenshire
189
166
193
234
210
54
470
441


Angus
99
101
139
68
99
111
121
158


Argyll and Bute
72
129
80
50
70
78
169
110


Clackmannanshire
27
10
16
16
26
19
59
60


Dumfries and Galloway
115
123
140
90
139
130
239
195


Dundee City
62
69
73
69
89
107
168
121


East Ayrshire
20
35
 
78
1
72
137
146


East Dunbartonshire
90
84
69
43
65
85
175
140


East Lothian
34
18
52
11
75
39
156
153


East Renfrewshire
45
38
36
38
133
92
151
176


Edinburgh, City of
247
210
387
244
273
203
443
462


Eilean Siar
27
29
51
37
32
34
81
83


Falkirk
56
28
80
37
108
128
159
206


Fife
78
89
189
167
85
145
368
363


Glasgow City
140
49
155
134
123
96
636
587


Highland
74
88
155
84
52
61
316
342


Inverclyde
35
43
50
63
51
46
71
94


Midlothian
32
30
42
33
19
54
106
133


Moray
57
61
73
76
120
83
144
125


North Ayrshire
31
19
35
47
27
12
162
242


North Lanarkshire
149
182
275
172
120
116
463
625


Orkney Islands
16
6
6
4
15
21
48
47


Perth and Kinross
92
31
37
31
10
33
178
153


Renfrewshire
28
61
38
114
100
11
173
127


Scottish Borders
55
65
75
44
76
44
147
142


Shetland Islands
27
21
76
26
27
45
62
62


South Ayrshire
10
2
17
4
45
17
154
118


South Lanarkshire
33
106
216
140
78
195
336
370


Stirling
67
45
129
44
95
98
140
152


West Dunbartonshire
100
32
127
71
62
77
155
136


West Lothian
91
63
129
74
112
136
118
275



  Source: Up to 2002-03, Teacher Flow Survey, From 2003-04 Teacher Census.

  Notes:

  1. Teacher Census data is not comparable with the Teacher Flow Survey as it includes all temporary staff.

  2. Data does not include those recruited during the year but not present at the census.

  3. Numbers are Headcounts

  

Teachers Retired
1997-98
1998-99
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03


Aberdeen City
33
21
39
26
33
51


Aberdeenshire
32
29
109
20
28
44


Angus
29
18
27
22
26
43


Argyll and Bute
6
6
7
6
14
20


Clackmannanshire
6
6
11
7
16
9


Dumfries and Galloway
15
21
23
17
37
28


Dundee City
28
33
16
17
36
33


East Ayrshire
28
28
37
23
33
51


East Dunbartonshire
7
18
19
9
14
8


East Lothian
3
11
14
18
15
4


East Renfrewshire
12
14
11
15
19
16


Edinburgh, City of
52
46
55
45
47
56


Eilean Siar
10
10
6
9
5
16


Falkirk
15
15
21
18
27
53


Fife
33
34
87
87
110
95


Glasgow City
37
30
32
29
109
40


Highland
20
40
39
35
50
52


Inverclyde
1
5
8
7
 
6


Midlothian
19
6
8
5
10
24


Moray
18
16
23
14
24
24


North Ayrshire
20
29
28
13
37
18


North Lanarkshire
60
51
87
53
71
97


Orkney Islands
4
2
 
1
3
12


Perth and Kinross
23
13
21
18
5
25


Renfrewshire
23
18
24
29
77
17


Scottish Borders
9
2
16
11
12
23


Shetland Islands
4
6
15
8
8
16


South Ayrshire
18
22
16
18
19
12


South Lanarkshire
30
36
75
35
44
246


Stirling
23
11
29
17
6
19


West Dunbartonshire
8
10
21
21
22
19


West Lothian
17
18
30
16
31
56



  Source: Teacher Flow Survey.

  Note: 1. Numbers are Headcounts.

Waste Management

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent applications for funding under the INCREASE waste strategy programme have exceeded the funds available, showing the numbers of successful and unsuccessful applications and the amounts involved in each case, broken down by local authority.

Ross Finnie: Through INCREASE, a total of £10 million was available. A total of £18,183,727 was applied for. £9,807,134 has been awarded and £8,376,593 declined. Projects totalling £2,216,652 were withdrawn.

  Further details on the information requested is given in Investment in Community recycling and Social Enterprise (INCREASE programme), a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41535).

Waste Management

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the (a) Strategic Waste Fund and (b) INCREASE programme have been oversubscribed in each year since their introduction, broken down by local authority and also showing year-on-year budgets, percentage changes and national totals.

Ross Finnie: I have placed tables in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numbers 41534 and 41535). These show the Amount of Funding Awarded to Local Authorities Through the Strategic Waste Fund – 2000-01 to 2029-2030 and the Investment in Community recycling and Social Enterprise (INCREASE programme) .

Waste Management

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been allocated to each local authority from the (a) Strategic Waste Fund and (b) INCREASE programme in each year since their introduction, also showing year-on-year percentage changes and national totals.

Ross Finnie: The information requested is given in the A mount of Funding Awarded to Local Authorities Through the Strategic Waste Fund – 2000-01 to 2029-30 table and the Investment in Community recycling and Social Enterprise (INCREASE programme ), copies of which have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numbers 41534 and 41535).